Mariners win wild series in Cincinnati to begin road trip
By Jeffrey Nooney, edited by Charles Hamaker
Cincinnati, OH - Our Seattle Mariners came into Cincinnati fresh off a series sweep at home against the Texas Rangers, looking to build off a 5-1 homestand that saw them vanquish to American League West divisional foes. Thanks to big performances from Dylan Moore, J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh, the Mariners leave Cincinnati winning the final two games of this three-game series on the road against the Reds to begin their nine-game road trip. Seattle’s record now stands at 10-9, just 1.5 games behind those aforementioned Rangers for the top spot in the division. This series was a promising one for the Mariners, as the offense came to life in a big way. The Mariners scored 20 runs in the series, the most in a series so far this season for them. Catcher Cal Raleigh kept his hot streak going with three home runs against the Reds, hitting six home runs over his last six games. Super utility man Dylan Moore had himself a series at the plate going 7-14, scoring five runs while hitting a double and two home runs to be a critical spark plug for the offense. Moore also stole two bases and drove in four. The offense did well even if the pitching struggled some, a notable achievement considering some of their early struggles at the plate and obviously issues hitting last season. The bullpen was used heavily and was shaky at times, but they got the job done in two of the games as they’ve been crucial early into this season for Seattle.
Game one: Reds win 8-4
This game looks a bit more lopsided than it was. To get this series opener going, Dylan Moore was the offense in this game as he clubbed two home runs and drove in all four runs that the Mariners would score. Moore led the game off with a home run to give Seattle an early 1-0 lead. “DMO” drove in his second run in the second inning with a base hit, and he hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Luis Castillo (1-2, 4.22 ERA) returned to Cincinnati for the first time since the Reds traded him to Seattle in 2022, and unfortunately for Castillo, this was a trip to forget. Castillo was chased in the fifth inning, giving up a total of six runs (all earned) on seven hits as he also walked four and struck out just three. The Mariners got to Reds starter Nick Lodolo early and chased him in that same fifth inning, as he gave up four runs (all earned) on five hits while walking just one and striking out seven. Seattle only managed to get one hit the rest of the ballgame and could not figure out the Reds bullpen. Mariners reliever Gregory Santos’ struggles with control continued as he gave up two runs (both earned) on one hit, but he walked three in his third of an inning of relief. Santos would be sent back down to AAA Tacoma after the ballgame in an effort to get him back to the player he wants to be and Seattle hopes for him to be, with right hander Will Klein getting the call to take his spot.
Besides a great performance from Dylan Moore, there was another bright spot from this game. Infielder Ben Williamson made his Major League debut in this one and got his first hit in his first at bat. Williamson’s family and friends were in attendance to witness his big-league debut, having met him in Cincinnati as opposed to in Seattle last Sunday when he was officially called up to the Major League roster. Ben is the team’s 13th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and will play third base while he is on the Mariners. Williamson is not a power threat like most third baseman around the league, but he does provide a solid average and is likely the best defensive infielder the Mariners have right now. He went 3-11 in this series with an RBI and a run scored, with some fun defensive plays throughout the course of the three-game set when he was able to get into the game. His defensive ability is unquestionably good, so it’ll be interesting to see what his offensive performance shows at the big league level as he’s already put together some good at bats in this series against the Reds.
Game two: Mariners win 5-3
Seattle starting pitcher Bryce Miller (1-2, 3.43 ERA) took the mound for the Mariners in this one, and he threw 78 pitches over his five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits, walking two and striking out eight. After Miller’s previous start against the Rangers, he said that he has felt sore in his throwing arm since the end of Spring Training, so limiting his innings early in the season is the smart thing to do even if he did later mention that he’d dealt with this soreness before. The Mariners offense did enough in this one to give Miller his first win of the season. Left fielder Randy Arozarena had an RBI double in the first and Ben Williamson had an RBI single in the second inning to get the offense going. J.P. Crawford drove in a run in the fourth inning before Cal Raleigh hit solo home runs from both sides of the plate to round out the scoring as his power surge early in the season continues. Seattle relief pitcher Troy Taylor, making his 2025 debut, struggled in this one by giving up three runs on three hits before Carlos Vargas, Gabe Speier and Andrés Muñoz finished the game off as the bullpen once again showed their value in the first full month of the 2025 season. This key victory helped Seattle bounce back from the frustrating series opener and set up a big rubber match in the finale the next day.
Game three: Mariners win 11-7 (10 innings)
This was the most exciting game of the year for the Mariners in my opinion, and it’s not close. The Reds got the scoring off with a two-run home run in the first from outfielder Austin Hays. Seattle outfielder/infielder Luke Raley responded to this as he tied the game at two with a two-run home run in the fourth inning off Reds Starter Brady Singer. The Mariners scored two more times in the fifth inning taking a 4-2 lead after a run scored on an error and a sacrifice fly from infielder Donovan Solano. Cincinnati got one back in the seventh thanks to a sacrifice fly from outfielder TJ Friedl, making the score 4-3 Mariners. In the top of the eighth inning, shortstop J.P. Crawford delivered with an RBI double giving the Mariners a 5-3 lead and pushing their lead up to two runs. The game went off the rails after this, with former Mariner Jake Fraley blasting a grand slam off reliever Eduard Bazardo, giving the Reds a 7-5 lead heading into the 9th inning and seemingly tipping the series in favor of Cincinnati. The Mariners were able to tie the game at seven thanks to back-to-back home runs from Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena to lead off the 9th inning. After a scoreless bottom of the ninth courtesy of reliever Casey Legumina, the game headed into extra innings. The Mariners scored four times in the tenth from a J.P. Crawford single, Randy Arozarena double and an error off the bat of Donovan Solano that Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz couldn’t handle. A wild back-and-forth game that Mariners fans will remember when the book closes on the 2025 season.
Seattle starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (0-1, 12.71 ERA) was called up from AAA Tacoma to start this game and give Bryan Woo an extra day of rest, as the Mariners prioritize the health of their young starters. He was sent down to Tacoma after a horrific start against the Detroit Tigers where he could not get out of the first inning. Hancock was much better in this one, as he pitched five innings and only gave up two runs (both earned) on five hits, as he struck out four without giving up a walk. The two runs were scored off the Hays home run in the first before he settled down and went the next four innings scoreless. The Mariners decided on Wednesday to push back Bryan Woo until Friday Night’s game in Toronto to give him an extra day’s rest and it looks like that was the right decision, as Hancock was exactly what the Mariners needed in this game. Just like the previous two games, the Mariners chased the Reds starting pitcher in the fifth inning in this one. Cincinnati starter Brady Singer only managed to go four and a third innings innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits as he walked three and struck out six.
What’s next?
After this series win against the Cincinnati Reds, our Seattle Mariners head north of the border to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the second leg of this nine-game road trip. The Blue Jays come in with an 11-8 record and are second in the American League East. This is the first home series for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. since signing his 14 year, $500 million dollar contract extension with Toronto just last week. Mariners fans who plan on watching Friday night’s game will need to have an Apple TV+ subscription because this is a nationally televised game and will not be available on Root Sports unfortunately. Saturday and Sunday’s contests will be broadcasted as normal thankfully, as fans can still tune in on 710AM to hear Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. call the game for radio. If you’d like to be surrounded by fans of the Mariners when you’re watching the games in this series, you can always head to the official home of Circling Seattle Sports: Rough & Tumble Pub! With more than enough televisions for ALL of the sports, local brews, great food, there isn't a better place to catch a game for any of Seattle’s sports teams.
Pitching matchups for the upcoming series against the Blue Jays:
Friday: Bryan Woo (2-0, 2.84 ERA) Vs. Bowden Francis (1-2, 3/71 ERA)
Saturday: Luis Castillo (1-2, 4.22 ERA) Vs. Jose Berrios (1-1, 5.16 ERA)
Sunday: Logan Gilbert (1-1, 2.38 ERA) Vs. Easton Lucas (2-1, 4.70 ERA)
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